“We, the faction of the Party of Regions in the Verkhovna Rada, as well as our fellow party members, decisively condemn criminal orders that led to human losses, empty state coffers, huge debts and disgrace in the eyes of the Ukrainian people and the world,” it said.
“As a result, our country found itself on the verge of disaster, facing the threat of a split and loss of national sovereignty. Any attempts to influence the situation, to dissuade the president, were not heard,” the faction said.
The statement also said that the faction of the Party of Regions “represents the interests of more than 10 million of Ukraine’s voters and over 1 million party members.” The party consists of “normal, industrious people who like their land, their nation. These are industrialists, scientists, workers, doctors and teachers.”
“We came to parliament to serve Ukraine and its people,” the faction said, adding that differences in viewpoints should not hinder joint work for the benefit of Ukraine. “We have one common goal - a united, powerful and independent Ukraine,” it said.
“We condemn the flight and faintheartedness of Yanukovich,” the statement said. “We condemn betrayal. We condemn criminal orders that set up ordinary people, soldiers and officers. But attempts of total intimidation and lynch law, as well as destabilization in regions are unacceptable in a democratic society.”
The Party of Regions’ faction also pledged to do everything possible to protect party members from “mistakes and crimes committed by top officials.”
RECENT EVENTS IN UKRAINE
Anti-government protests have been underway in Ukraine since the country’s authorities refused to sign an association agreement with the European Union at a Vilnius summit in November 2013, choosing closer ties with Russia instead.
The Ukrainian authorities adopted tougher laws for public order violations in mid-January, which triggered another wave of protests that sometimes turned violent, with three protesters believed to have been killed, and up to 200 police injured. The laws were later repealed.